1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a jack type connector with a shutter, and more particularly to a jack type connector with a thin shutter which is to be used in, for example, an IO port of a mobile terminal device such as a portable telephone. In the jack type connector with a shutter of the invention, countermeasures for dustproofing during a non-use period, and for preventing electrostatic discharge damage of electronic devices connected to internal terminals from occurring are taken, and also a countermeasure for enhancing electrical insulation among the internal terminals is taken. In the jack type connector with a shutter of the invention and a plug type connector which uses the jack type connector as a counter connector, a countermeasure for preventing the plug type connector from slipping from the jack type connector and damaging the connectors is taken.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Japanese Utility Model Application Laying-Open No. 6-50270 (first prior art example) discloses a small connector that is a jack type connector in which a countermeasure for dustproofing is taken. The connector has a housing which accommodates terminals overlaid on an inner wall face, and a slider which is disposed in the housing so as to be slidable between a closing position where the slider closes a plug fitting hole of the housing, and an opening position which is in the rear of the closing position. The slider is always elastically urged toward the closing position. When a plug type connector is inserted into the fitting hole, the slider is pushed by the slider from the closing position to the opening position against the elastic urging force. The slider has slide terminals which, in the closing position, are in contact with the terminals, and which, in the opening position, separate from the terminals. When the slide terminals separate from the housing terminals, it is possible to detect that the counter connector is inserted into the fitting hole. In the first prior art example, a contact is provided in a protrusion portion which is to be inserted into the jack type connector, and the protrusion portion pushes the slide of the jack type connector to cause the contact to be in contact with a contact of the counter connector.
Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 2601800 (second prior art example) discloses a jack type connector. In the connector, a housing which accommodates terminals is surrounded by a shield frame, and a cover for opening and closing a plug insertion hole of the housing is formed by an electrically conductive member made of a metal material. When a plug type connector is inserted into the connector, the cover is pushed open by the plug type connector, so that a contact portion which is integrated with the cover is in contact with the shield frame.
Japanese Utility Model Application Laying-Open No. 6-54260 (third prior art example) discloses a jack type connector in which a housing which accommodates terminals is surrounded by a shield frame, and a shutter for closing a plug insertion hole of the housing is formed by an electrically conductive member made of a metal material. The shutter is always connected to the shield frame irrespective of the state of the shutter, or both in the opening and closing states.
In all of the first to third prior art examples, when the plug type connector is not inserted, the internal space of the housing is closed by the slider, the cover, or the shutter so as to perform dust control.
In the first prior art example, the slider is moved forward or backward in the housing to open or close the housing. Therefore, it is required only to ensure a space for accommodating the slider in the opening state, in a rear portion of the housing, and it is not required to ensure a space for accommodating the slider in the opening state, in an upper or lower side of the housing, thereby producing an advantage that the housing can be easily thinned.
In the first prior art example, a molded product of a synthetic resin is used as the slider, and the slider itself does not have a property of shielding the terminals accommodated in the housing from electromagnetic waves. In the case where the housing is incorporated into, for example, a mobile terminal device and the terminals accommodated in the housing are electrically connected to electronic devices of the mobile terminal device, even when the fitting hole of the housing is closed by the slider during a non-use period in which the plug type connector is not inserted into the housing, therefore, external electromagnetic waves are not blocked by the slider and influence the terminals and in turn the electronic devices. As a result, there arises the possibility that electrostatic discharge damage occurs in the electronic devices.
By contrast, in the second and third prior art examples, when the plug type connector is inserted, the cover or the shutter (hereinafter, such a component is referred to as “shutter or the like”) is pushed by the counter connector to swing in the opening direction about a horizontal shaft, and accommodated so as to be overlaid on the upper or lower wall of the housing, with the result that the shutter is sandwiched between the plug type connector and the upper or lower wall of the housing. Therefore, a space for accommodating the shutter or the like in the opening state must be ensured in an upper or lower side of the housing. This impedes the thinning of the housing.
In the second and third prior art examples, the shutter or the like is formed by an electrically conductive metal member, and, at least in the closing state, the shutter or the like is electrically connected to the shield frame surrounding the housing. During a non-use period in which the internal space of the housing is closed by the shutter or the like, therefore, the shutter or the like exerts the function of blocking external electromagnetic waves, thereby producing an advantage that the terminals housed in the housing, and the electronic devices which are electrically connected to the terminals are prevented from suffering electrostatic discharge damage.
When the shutter or the like is formed by a metal member, elements such as a boss and a rib which are required for the opening and closing swing operations must be press-formed in the shutter or the like, thereby causing the shutter or the like to have a complex curved shape. Moreover, other elements such as a spring receiving piece for fixing a spring member must be formed by a cutting and raising operation. This causes a problem in that the design of the front face of the shutter is impaired by the bent portion and a hole remaining after the cutting and raising operation. Furthermore, the cut surface must be processed in order to enhance the slidability. Consequently, there arises another problem in that the production cost is correspondingly increased.
In order to solve the problems, it may be contemplated to divide the shutter or the like into a portion having conductivity which is required for providing the function of blocking electromagnetic waves, and mechanical portions such as a boss, form the conductive portion by a metal member, and insert-mold the metal member together with a synthetic resin portion for forming the mechanical portions. However, this causes a further problem in that the charges for a mold and the molding are raised and hence the production cost is increased as a whole.
In a multipolar connector which constitutes an 10 port of a mobile terminal device such as a portable telephone, conventionally, a countermeasure for dustproofing is taken by enabling a cover formed by a molded product of a synthetic resin such as elastomer which is a dielectric, to be attached and detached. However, no countermeasure for preventing electrostatic discharge damage when such a multipolar connector is not used is particularly taken.
In all of the plug type connectors disclosed in the first to third prior art examples, only a small gap is ensured between the protrusion portion which is inserted into the jack type connector, and the inner face of the jack type connector which is positioned on both sides to sandwich the protrusion portion. When the connectors are pried under a state where the protrusion portion is inserted into the jack type connector, therefore, there is the possibility that the protrusion portion strikes against the inner face of the jack type connector, and the portion is damaged or the housing or the like of the counter connector is broken.